In New Orleans, we are left with a red bump commemorating a mosquito’s feast on an arm or leg.
A world away in Africa? Malaria. A child rendered lifeless every 45 seconds.
Amidst life’s inequities we come to take solace in the efforts of those selfless few like Jared Montz, a former professional soccer player, who’s combating mosquito bites with more than just bug spray.
With World Malaria Day set for April 25th, Montz has upped his philanthropy game by hosting the first annual OSA World Juggle-a-thon, an event in which soccer players will juggle a soccer ball with hopes of raising money for Nothing But Nets.
According to Montz, getting involved is simple.
Anyone can juggle anywhere; by themselves, with friends, teams, or soccer clubs. Participants will collect donations and pledges leading up to the OSA World Juggle-a-thon, and then juggle as much as they can on April 25 at 6 p.m. After the event, jugglers will mail in the money they raised, and receive an official OSA World Juggle-a-thon t-shirt and other goodies.
Oh and did we mention Jay Demerit and Carli Lloyd from U.S. Soccer will be participating?
A global, grassroots campaign, Nothing But Nets help curb the spread of malaria by providing families with bed netting to keep them bug-free during the night. All it takes is $10 to save a life. That’s like two cups of coffee from Starbucks!
The Yanks Are Coming encourages you to participate in any way that you can. To find out more information, please visit Online Soccer Academy or Nothing But Nets. Happy juggling!
Daniel Seco is the publisher of Yanks Are Coming. He can be reached at dan@yanksarecoming.com.